stratigraphy

Dedication to the memory of a colleague, Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences Valentin P. Tverdokhlebov, a well-known specialist in sedimentology and palaeogeography of the Late Permian and Triassic of the Eastern Russian Plate and Southern Urals, as well as taphonomy of vertebrate localities. Valentin Petrovich is a long-time head of the geological survey party investigating the stratigraphy of continental red-coloured strata, tectonics and placement of minerals in the Orenburg region.

In the article it is argued the use of gastropod for stratigraphic subdivisions of Sarmatian deposition. Reasonably allocated typical stratigraphic complexes gastropods for individual horizons sarmatian of Moldavian Transnistria and neighboring areas. Stratigraphy of the sarmatian scheme within the area contains additional, proposed by the author, stratigraphic units in the rank of «layers with gastropod fauna».

A lithologically continuous Santonian and Campanian rock section has been examined; the character of rock interrelations has been determined as the one common to the junction area of the northern part of the Don-Medveditsa and the southern termination of the Rtishchevo-Balanda swells and the Karamysh depression.

The results of interpretation of biostratigraphic separation of santonian-campanian deposits of the Saratov right-bank Volga region, on the example of earlier conducted detailed and complex investigation of separation near the village Mezino-Lapshinovka have been presented. The ideas of realiability of variants of the detailed (on the level of subtages) subdivision of santonian substage in reference to the territory of the Volga right-bank have been given. 

There are unceptainties in the boundaries, extensions and ages of the suites recognized in the recent regional stratigra-phic chart for the Middle Jurassic of the Saratov and Volgograd Volga right-bank Regions. Analyses of the new factual materials acquired from numerous well cores and the data from the outcrops in the stratotype locality at the North Vol-gograg Region make the basis for elaborating the deposite division. Detaled lithologic and paleontologic characteristics, their thicknesses and areals are estimated over Volga right-bank Region. 

Analysis of the published factual materials from the Lower Volga region has made it possible to distinguish and to describe eight local stratigraphic units of the Middle Carboniferous Moscovian stage. Lithologic and paleontologic characteristics of the suites and the subsuites are presented alongside with indications of the stratotype sections in particular wells. In the summary, the local stratigraphic units from the Lower Volga Region are compared with the stratotypes from the Moscow Region. 

This paper presents a brief biography of the Professor Maxim G. Minich, a Soviet and Russian specialist in fossil fish and stratigraphy of the Permian and Triassic of the Russian Plate and the Cis-Uralian peripheral depression. He was a brilliant representative of the middle generation of the Saratov school of vertebrate researchers, the head of the Department of Biostratigraphy and Paleontology at the Scientific Research Geological Institute of Saratov State University and latterly its Director. He was an honorary member of the All-Russian Paleontological Society.